25 up-and-coming LGBTQ artists you need to listen to in 2019

20gayteen has launched us to extra out-and-proud queer artists than ever.

However what is going to 2019 deliver? We’ve introduced 25 up-and-coming LGBTQ artists you need to be listening to.

From the feisty bubblegum pop-punk bops of GIRLI, to the choice hip-hop sounds of Dizzy Fae and FHAT, these artists are all making their mark on the music business. Cliché, however no matter.

Take a look at our listing under…

Aaron Porter

Standout bop: BOY

British singer-songwriter Aaron Porter made his music business debut final yr with BOY, a queer slice of R&B, dance-pop perfection. The singer and dancer, who hails from East Grinstead, says he’s keen to “be a good role model for the younger generation” – and he’s doing this by getting into the business as an brazenly homosexual artist who isn’t afraid to contact base on delicate subjects reminiscent of poisonous masculinity. He’s solely launched one monitor up to now, however it completely slays. He’s one to be careful for.

Andrea Di Giovanni

Standout bop: Disgrace Resurrection

Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Di Giovanni struggled together with his sexuality for many of his youth. Rising up in a rustic with staunch, anti-gay views, the performer felt like he was unable to categorical his queer self and stay authentically. He moved to London when he was 19, which he says allowed him to embrace his queerness and “true self”. Andrea informed us: “It made my art more real, raw, honest, less manufactured and less fake.” If you like darkish, unashamedly queer pop, you need to get into Andrea.

Angie

Standout bop: Spun

Ever since her spunky 2016 debut single, Smoke Weed Eat Pussy, Swedish hit-maker Ängie has grow to be probably the most outspoken artists in pop music. As a result of she’s not afraid to converse out about feminism, psychological well being and homosexuality, Ängie has been declared probably the most “controversial pop star” by a number of media retailers, which she claims is down to a “bullshit world”. Her debut album, Suicidal Since 1995, is a seven monitor assortment of moody, experimental pop. Once more, it’s cliché to say, however there’s nobody like Ängie on the market proper now.

Bronze Avery

Standout bop: Need 2

Orlando-born singer-songwriter Bronze Avery – start identify Gabriel Brown – launched his fifth single on the finish of final yr, Need 2, an enormous dance-pop anthem he describes as “bedroom sheets meets the dance floor”. The up-and-coming queer artist has launched 4 bops to date: Depart Collectively, Strain, Secrets and techniques and the Rick Astley cowl By no means Gonna Give You Up, however Bronze’s newest launch looks like he’s OFFICIALLY arrived. His upcoming debut album/EP is one in every of our most anticipated, as a result of we all know he’s gonna serve us bops and lewks.

Carlie Hanson

Standout bop: Solely One

She’s solely launched six tracks up to now, however Carlie Hanson is making waves in the world of pop. With every single, the American singer/songwriter has blessed us with pop perfection, particularly together with her feel-good summer time bop, Solely One, which has been streamed over 48 million occasions. Within the final quarter of 2018, Carlie toured america with Troye Sivan for his acclaimed Bloom Tour, so yeah, we will’t wait to see what she does in 2019…

Chelcee Grimes

Standout bop: Simply Like That

After being dropped from her first document deal at simply 19 years previous, Chelcee turned her consideration to songwriting for a few of the world’s largest pop divas, together with Kylie Minogue, Louisa Johnson, Kesha and Dua Lipa. Now, she’s prepared for her personal massive break, and she or he’s pulling out all of the stops to make it a hit – her debut single Simply Like That’s an earworm of epic proportions, and she or he’s quietly been working with the likes of RedOne and Calvin Harris on her album.

Dizzy Fae

Standout bop: Booty 3000

Dizzy Fae first caught our consideration early final yr with the discharge of her ethereal video for Her/Indica, a shocking depiction of the Minnesota artist’s first time falling for a lady. Like an entire new era of LGBTQ artists, Dizzy is prepared to conquer the world of music and fly the flag as an out-and-proud musician. “If I can be anything, it’s that person that someone can look at and be like, ‘I feel you’,” Dizzy advised us. “How I feel about being queer and brown is probably how a lot of the world is feeling.”

Emily Burns

Standout bop: Check Drive

British singer-songwriter Emily Burns launched her first single Bitch final yr to essential acclaim, and adopted it up with same-sex love anthems reminiscent of Girlfriend At The Time and Cheat, all of which have achieved over a million streams every. She launched her debut EP, Seven Scenes From The Similar Summer time final month, and it’s truthfully unimaginable. We advocate stepping into Check Drive first, as a result of it’s such an anthem.

FHAT

Standout bop: Pleasure

FHAT are an unapologetically queer music duo consisting of Aaron and Sedric, who handled followers to their model of chilled alt-R&B in the type of their current single Pleasure. The 2 relocated from Los Angeles to Berlin a number of years in the past and shortly discovered themselves forming a brand new musical partnership with influences that vary from Mura Masa to Outkast.

GIRLI

Standout bop: Day Month Second

GIRLI doesn’t give a flying fuck. Like, in any respect. Since her 2015 debut, the 20-year-old Londoner – actual identify Milly Toomey – has grow to be probably the most outspoken artists in the music business due to her frank (and sometimes feisty) lyrics about feminism and sexuality. Tracks resembling Women Get Indignant Too and Woman I Met On The Web contact on the aforementioned subjects, all whereas exploring quite a lot of genres resembling bubblegum pop, punk, rap and PC.

Jesse Saint John

Standout bop: FAKE IT

After writing songs for shut pal Brooke Sweet’s critically-acclaimed debut EP, Jesse Saint John made a reputation for himself in the songwriting business when he penned a number of unimaginable pop tracks for artists akin to Britney Spears (Love Me Down), Charli XCX (Cloud Aura, Secret, I Acquired It) and Camila Cabello (One thing’s Gotta Give). Like a number of different gifted songwriters in the world of pop – Leland, Bonnie McKee, Chelcee Grimes – Jesse has determined to launch a solo assault on the charts with the discharge of his two unbelievable pop-bops, MOVE and FAKE IT, which can be adopted by his first EP later this yr.

Kiddy Smile

Standout bop: Let A B!tch Know

Parisian DJ, musician and dancer Kiddy Smile has been in the leisure business for over a decade, having carried out with large acts comparable to LCD Soundsystem and Beth Ditto/The Gossip. Final yr, he launched his 80s/90s home and ballroom impressed debut album, One Trick Pony, which sees the artist talk about what it means to be homosexual man of color.

Kim Petras

Standout bop: Coronary heart to Break

German singer-songwriter Kim Petras is on the cusp of breaking by way of huge time, having garnered nicely over 40 million streams on Spotify alone since launching her music profession again in the summer time. Her debut album is about to embrace large bops resembling All The Time, I Don’t Need It All, Coronary heart to Break, Pale and Can’t Do Higher. It’s protected to say that it’s shaping up to be one among our favorite debuts ever.

King Princess

Standout bop: Higher West Aspect

American singer-songwriter and producer King Princess first achieved worldwide recognition together with her indie-pop monitor, 1950, a tribute to the LGBTQ group and queer love, which has (thus far) amassed over 130 million streams on Spotify. Her debut EP, Make My Mattress, was launched in June to widespread acclaim, and proved that she’s one of many hottest up and coming LGBTQ artists of 2018.

Leland

Standout bop: Run Into You

Since 2015, American performer and producer Leland has conquered the world of songwriting, penning large pop-bops for artists corresponding to Daya (Hideaway), Troye Sivan (Bloom), Betty Who (Ignore Me) and Selena Gomez (Fetish). Oh, and he additionally co-wrote Kardashian: The Musical, VH1 Divas Stay and Kitty Women – three of Drag Race’s most sickening episodes ever. Now, the singer – actual identify Brett McLaughlin – is aiming to dominate the charts with the discharge of his relatable break-up anthems Run Into You and Center of a Heartbreak and the critically-acclaimed synthpop banger Mattress.

L Devine

Standout bop: Like You Like That

L Devine is among the UK’s most promising queer skills. Her debut EP, Rising Pains, was considered one of our favorite releases final yr, thanks to pop jams akin to Like You Like That, When The Time’s Proper and Celebration On Our Personal. Late in 2018, she unveiled her Heathers-inspired banger, Peer Strain, which explores the thought of what it means to match in, and the way you navigate that whereas sustaining your individuality, and adopted it up together with her unimaginable debut EP of the identical identify.

Merlot

Standout bop: Dangerous For You

Merlot has been a outstanding determine in New York Metropolis’s queer scene for a variety of years, having established themselves as a bankable mannequin with their signature freckles and femme lewks. Final yr, they made their debut in the music business with R&B monitor, Dangerous For You, a sultry, sensual quantity which sees the artist proclaim to a lover: “I’m not gonna change baby, through and through / Cuz’ I’m bad for you, cuz’ I’m bad for you.”

Morgan Saint

Standout bop: Simply Buddies

New York Metropolis native Morgan Saint captivated pop music followers final yr together with her Joan Jett-esque aesthetic and five-track assortment of mid-tempo, dream-pop bangerz, which featured songs akin to You and Simply Buddies. Because the launch of the aforementioned EP, 17 Hero, Morgan has acquired acclaim from critics for her lush vocal supply and uncooked, understated songwriting expertise, and has constructed a devoted fanbase inside the LGBTQ group.

REYNA

Standout bop: Heartbeat

American duo REYNA are simmering synthpop perfection. Heartbeat – their eighth (and probably greatest) launch up to now – shall be included in the band’s upcoming debut EP, which can embrace the likes of Child Overlook It and Cool With It, each of that are the textbook definition of ‘pop perfection’. Their first single, Spill Your Colors, was written as an “ode to being your true self and not conforming to what society or your family expects from you”, and was impressed by member Vic Banuelos’ “traumatic” popping out expertise to her mother and father. If you like Aly and AJ and Tegan and Sara, you’ll love REYNA.

Rina Sawayama

Standout bop: Cherry

Japan-born, London-raised singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama is serving high-fashion lewks and killer choreography together with her extremely underrated videography, particularly for her newest single, Cherry. The monitor is her “most personal” but, because it addresses the emotions of popping out as pansexual whereas being in a heterosexual relationship, and the accompanying clip is serving us the queer pop star fantasy we’ve been ready for. Its follow-up, Flicker, served us one other slice of dance-pop whereas tackling points similar to the shortage of illustration in the media – “the people on TV, they all look the same”.

Sam Bluer

Standout bop: Chew My Tongue

Aussie performer Sam Bluer made his music business debut final yr with two unbelievable dark-pop tracks, Shift and Physique Excessive, the latter of which accurately catapulted our wigs down the motherfucking road. The lyrics! The manufacturing! The video! We reside! His greatest monitor, nevertheless, is his most up-to-date launch, the euphoric bop Chew My Tongue, which is probably one among our favorite queer anthems of 2018. If his debut EP is something just like the three aforementioned tracks, we will see Sam blowing up this yr.

Shea Diamond

Standout bop: I Am Her

Trans soul singer Shea Diamond spent a decade in jail after a very tough childhood. After her incarceration, Diamond turned closely concerned in the transgender rights motion, and subsequently penned I Am Her, a soul/rock anthem about self-realisation. Justin Tranter, who’s produced tracks for pop kweens reminiscent of Selena Gomez and Gwen Stefani, found Diamond and signed her to the Warner-distributed label Asylum, which led to the discharge of her debut EP, Seen It All.

Tommy Genesis

Standout bop: 100 Dangerous

Canadian singer-songwriter Tommy Genesis acquired acclaim from Vogue, The FADER, Dazed, Elle, W and PAPER for her debut mixtape World Imaginative and prescient. The challenge offered us with a number of ah-mah-zeng songs similar to Hate Demon, Potato Head and Execute. Since then, she’s slain our existence with tracks on her self-titled debut album, resembling Daddy, Play Wit It and 100 Dangerous, the latter of which acquired a badass remix with British pop princess Charli XCX.

Vardaan Arora

Standout bop: Dance Like You

Vardaan Arora turned a viral sensation after the discharge of Really feel Good Music in 2016, and once we spoke to him final yr, he stated he’s decided to characterize the “vibrant, diverse community of LGBTQ artists” by displaying the business that POC can slay simply as fucking onerous. And it’s protected to say he’s been doing that to date with large tracks corresponding to Simply Like That, Poison, Polaroid, and his most up-to-date single Dance Like You.

Zolita

Standout bop: Struggle Like a Woman

Zolita first gained her large fanbase with the video launch of her lesbian anthem, Explosion, which depicted the Californian-born artist as she yearns for greater than only a friendship together with her bff. “People told me that it had helped them come out, and helped them tell their best friends their feelings,” she advised us. “Seeing that reaction definitely made me realise that this is what I’m supposed to be doing as Zolita, writing songs that disenfranchised people can see themselves in and relate to.”